In many cases disputes arise as to the nature and the content of meetings that was held in the past, mainly when such meetings were not recorded and were between two persons in private. Experience of life teaches us that in many such cases one participant alleges ex post facto that during the meeting certain events happened or certain spoken words were told and on the other hand the other participant alleged differently. Systems for meeting documentation which include audio and video recording are known in the art and can provide satisfied solution in a wide range of cases.
However, the solution as described above is not sufficient in special cases, when the participants have interests to record the meeting and in the same time they are also interested in the safety of documentation, in the meaning that no one—even one of the participant—would have an access to the documentation without specific consent of all the participant of that meeting. Such kind of meeting can be for example: meetings between psychologist or psychiatric and patient.
In such meetings the patient discloses personal and intimate information that he does not want this information would be disclosed to others; meetings between attorney and his client when they discuss sensitive matters; meetings for medical treatment such as dental, physiotherapy and other kinds of medical treatment; Sexual meetings between two persons where the position of authority at work exists between them, and other kind of relationship, where there is a concern that in the future one participant may claim that he had sex without consent or that the nature of the relationship was colored with semi criminal or immoral aspects. The expression “personal meeting” or “face to face personal meeting” in this patent application relates to all of those kind of meetings, which express meetings in which the participants are together in the same place and time.
The Gadget-NET website (gadgnet.co.il) presents a very simple sound and video recording device that includes a miniature camera and miniature recording device that are intended for security monitoring and documentation of meetings, although the device is designed mainly for covert recording and filming. The sound and video recordings are saved on a memory card and when the recording ends, they may be viewed and listened to. The said recording device is not, however, equipped with any components that prevent unauthorized access of the participants to the documentation.
The Yosonic website (yosonic.co.il) also offers a security camera of the kind that is customarily installed in entrances to structures such as residential building and businesses. The camera documents every event within its photographic range and the recording is saved on a memory card. In the event of a criminal or felonious event, such as robbery, burglary, theft, and so on, the video film enables to identify the perpetrators. In order to prevent the perpetrators from breaking open the camera and destroying the recording documenting their criminal or felonious act, it is customary to install such cameras in high and inaccessible locations and to cache them within a safety casing. Here too, the said recording device is not equipped with any components that prevent unauthorized access of the participants to the documentation.
Patent Application WO2004067885 (A1) describes a lock with a double locking device: mechanical and electronic. The said lock may be opened using a single key and it is designed for use on doors, mailboxes, safes, and so on. The key, which is used to physically open the mechanical lock, also includes an electronic code that opens the electronic lock. It is obvious that any person who is in possession of the key can open the lock regardless of the agreement or cooperation of any other person.
The three above-mentioned publications refer to three different devices, whose manner of assembly differs from that of the system, subject of the present invention, and that are intended for different purposes and are designed to solve different problems than those addressed by the present system. The system, subject of the present invention, is designed to document personal meetings and to save the said documentation in a manner that enable assess to it only upon authorization and positive action of the participants in the said meeting. The system includes a locking device and two or more authorization keys, locking device may be unlocked and the system's casing may be opened, thus exposing the documentation saved in the system's memory devices, only if and when all of the said authorization keys are used.
The present invention offers a solution for people who wish to document a personal meeting in a way that will prevent any access the documentation unless such access is authorized by all of the meeting's participants and by the positive action of each and every one of the participants. The system includes several authorization keys such that access to the documentation is granted only when all of the keys are used at once. Thus, for instance, the system may be used by a psychologist and his patient, or by a lawyer and her client, or by a pair of lovers who wish to document their meeting but do not want the other to be able to access the information in the future without both participants consenting to such access. The system, subject of the present patent application, offers an excellent solution to this problem.